Preforming head for wire-stranding machine



Aug. 7 1956 M. VENNETT PREFORMING HEAD FOR WIRE STRANDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 16, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l Km m5 NN mm m% m m M A V, E956 M. VENNETT PREFORMI NG HEAD FOR WIRE-STRANDING MACHINE Filed Jam. 16, 1952 .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

FIE-7.

' M/Chwa I/E/V/VETZ BY:

United States Patent PREFORMING HEAD FOR WIRE-STRANDING MACHINE Michael Vennett, New Haven, Conn., assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Application January 16, 1952, Serial No. 266,643

Claims. (Cl. 5.7--9) This invention relates to an improved preforming head for wire stranding machines.

As used herein, the term stranding machine refers to a machine for twisting either a plurality of individual wires as components into a strand or a plurality of strands as components into a rope or cable. Such a machine includes fundamentally a number of supply reels, a guide plate, a preforming head, a closing die and a drum on which the finished stranded wire structure is wound. The preforming head comprises a hollow shaft, around the outside of which are supported several groups of preforming rolls. The core component of the stranded wire structure passes through the shaft bore, while each of the outside components passes from its supply reel, through the guide plate and around the rolls of a different one of said groups. Usually the supply reels are mounted in a rotatable frame, and the guide plate and preforming head rotate in unison therewith about the core component as an axis and thus twist the outside components together at the closing die, although it is possible to make these parts stationary and instead rotate the haul-otl mechanism about this same axis. The purpose of the preforming head is to induce a helical set in the components and thus minimize the tendency of the stranded wire structure to unravel. For a more complete disclosure of exemplary machines of this sort, reference can be made to Conner Patent No. 1,781,894, Clark Patents No. 1,823,886 and No. 1,894,756, or Briggs Patent No. 2,036,393, although obviously the preforming head of the present invention is not limited to use with these specific machines.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved preforming head which furnishes better support for the preforming rolls and thus is of more rugged construction than previous heads with which I am familiar.

A more specific object is to provide an improved preforming head in which these rolls are mounted on pins supported at both ends, thereby furnishing a more rugged construction particularly for smaller sizes where the pins necessarily are slender and easily bent.

in accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided improved details of structure, a single form of which is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of an improved preforming head which embodies features of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the first or entry disk used in the preforming head;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line IlI-ll.l of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the middle disk used in the preforming head;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line V-V of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a front elevational view of the third or exit disk used in the preforming head; and

"ice

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line VIIVII of Figure 6.

There is shown at 10 the shaft of the preforming head of the present invention. This shaft contains a longitudinal bore 12 for passage of a core component C of the stranded wire structure. At its entry end the shaft has an enlargement 13 which contains an internally screwtilreaded counterhore for joining the shaft to its usual support, not shown. The exit end of the shaft has a reduced portion 14 and a further reduced portion 15, the latter of which is externally screw-threaded. A plurality of disks 16, 17 and 18 are supported on shaft 10. In the construction illustrated the first or entry disk 16 is keyed to the shaft by a key 19 and held against relative longitudinal movement by a set screw 20 (Figures 2 and 3). The middle disk 17 is held by set screws 21 threadedly engaged with disk 16 (Figure 1). Preferably this middle disk is of larger outside diameter than the other two and has a knurled circumference to facilitate adjustment. The third or exit disk 18 is keyed on the reduced portion 14 of the shaft by a key 22 (Figure 6) and is held against relative longitudinal movement by a washer 23 and nut 24, the latter being engaged with the screwthreaded portion 15 of the shaft. However it is apparent that the foregoing details can be varied without de parting from the invention.

The three disks furnish mountings for groups of rolls 25, in this instance six in number. Each roll has a circumferential groove and the grooves in the rolls of any one group occupy a common plane which is inclined to the longitudinal axis of shaft 10. Six outside components T of the stranded wire structure are led over and under the grooves of the rolls of the respective groups in the usual fashion and extend to a point of twist, as indicated in Figure l. The rolls 25 induce the usual helical set in these components. Ordinarily the shaft 10 rotates with its support to twist the outside components about the core component.

Each of the rolls 25 is supported on a pin 26, which extends radially of shaft 16 and its respective disk 16, 17 or Iii, but oblique to the shaft axis. In accordance with the present invention, each disk has a plurality of cutouts 27, one for each pin and roll. The inner edge of each cut-out extends spirally inwardly from the circumference of the disk. The portions of the disk beyond these cut-outs constitute integral overhanging bearing lugs 28. (Figure 4) are of the opposite hand from those of the entry and exit disks to and 18 (Figures 2 and 6). The central body portion of each disk has radial bores 29, one for each pin 26. The lugs 28 of each disk beyond cut-outs 27 have bores 30 axially aligned with said radial bores. Pins 26 extend from the bores 29, which support their inner ends, across the cut-outs 27, and into the bores 3%, which support their outer ends. Rolls 25 are rotatably mounted on said pins within the cut-outs 27. Thus the present invention furnishes positive support for both ends of the pins. This feature has particular value in smaller sizes, where the diameter of the pins is as small as 0.070 inch, although obviously its use is not thus limited.

While I have shown and described only a single embodiment of the invention, it is apparent that modifications may arise. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the disclosure set forth but only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A preforming head for stranding machines comprising a hollow shaft, a plurality of disks fixed to said shaft, a plurality of radial pins mounted on each of said disks, each of said pins being supported adjacent both its ends, and circumferentially grooved forming rolls rotatably Preferably the cut-outs of the middle disk 17 mounted on said pins, the rolls on the diilerent disks forming groups around which a component of a stranded wire structure can pass for receiving a helical set.

2. A preforming head for stranding machines comprising a hollow shaft, a plurality of disks fixed to said shaft and each having a central body portion and a plurality of bearing lugs around said body portion, a plurality of radial pins associated with each of said disks, each of said pins being supported at one end in the central body portion of its respective disk and at the other end in one of said bearing lugs, and circumferentially grooved forming rolls rotatably mounted on said pins between the central portion of each disk and the bearing lugs, the rolls on the different disks forming groups around which a component of a stranded Wire structure can pass for receiving a helical set.

3. A preforming head for stranding machines comprising a hollow shaft, a plurality of disks fixed to said shaft and each having a central body portion and a plurality of integral bearing lugs around said body portion, the body portion of each of said disks having a plurality of radial bores, said bearing lugs having radial bores each of which is axially aligned with a different one of the radial bores in the body portion, a plurality of radial pins associated with each of said disks, each of said pins being supported at one end in a bore in the body portion of its disk and at the other end in a bore of one of said bearing lugs, and circumferentially grooved forming rolls rotatably mounted on said pins between the central portion of each disk and the bearing lugs, the rolls on the different disks forming groups around which a component of a stranded wire structure can pass for receiving a helical set.

4. A preforming head for stranding machines com prising a hollow shaft, a plurality of disks fixed to said shaft and each having a central body portion and a plurality of cut-outs extending spirally inwardly from its circumference and forming a plurality of integral overhanging bearing lugs spaced from said body portion, the body portion of each of said disks having a plurality of radial bores, said bearing lugs having radial bores each of which is axially aligned with a different one of the radial bores in the body portion, a plurality of radial pins associated with each of said disks, each of said pins being supported at one end in a bore in the body portion of its disk and at the other end in a bore of one of said bearing lugs, and circumferentially grooved forming rolls rotatably mounted on said pins between the central portion of each disk and the bearing lugs, the rolls on the diiferent disks forming groups around which a component of a stranded Wire structure can pass for receiving a helical set.

5. A preforming head as defined in claim 4 in which adjacent disks are in abutting relation and in which the spiral cut-outs of adjacent disks are of the opposite hand.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,809,032 Gregson June 9, 1931 1,899,559 Damon Feb. 28, 1933 1,958,598 Trebes May 15, 1934 1,961,379 Morgan June 5, 1934 2,124,864 Weller July 26, 1938 2,476,180 Charles July 12, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 719,346 France Nov. 14, 1931 

3. A PREFORMING HEAD FOR STRANDING MACHINES COMPRISING A HOLLOW SHAFT, A PLURALITY OF DISKS FIXED TO SAID SHAFT AND EACH HAVING A CENTRAL BODY PORTION AND A PLURALITY OF INTEGRAL BEARING LUGS AROUND SAID BODY PORTION, THE BODY PORTION OF EACH OF SAID DISKS HAVING A PLURALITY OF RADIAL BORES, SAID BEARING LUGS HAVING RADIAL BORES EACH OF WHICH IS AXIALLY ALIGNED WITH A DIFFERENT ONE OF THE RADIAL BORES IN THE BODY PORTION, A PLURALITY OF RADIAL PINS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF SAID DISKS, EACH OF SAID PINS BEING SUPPORTED AT ONE END IN A BORE IN THE BODY PORTION OF ITS DISK AND AT THE OTHER END IN A BORE OF ONE OF SAID BEARING LUGS, AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY GROOVED FORMING ROLLS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID PINS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL PORTION OF EACH DISK AND THE BEARING LUGS, THE ROLLS ON THE DIFFERENT DISKS FORMING GROUPS AROUND WHICH A COMPONENT OF A STRANDED WIRE STRUCTURE CAN PASS FOR RECEIVING A HELICAL SET. 